Houssam Triumphs at WPT Marrakech

Monday, December 5th, 2011 by Nadia

World Poker Tour (WPT) Marrakech concluded with Mohamed Ali Houssam from Morocco emerging as the victor, beating Toufik Ourini, another Moroccan, for the title. This was Mohamed’s first WPT title and cash. His previous wins include the Marrakech Poker Open in May 2011. He won $53,518 at the event. The WPT win has made Houssam richer by $267,011.

Key Hand in the Tournament

One of the best hands of the tournament, was held by Maksim Martinov, who went up against Ourini and Houssam just before the heads-up play began. Martinov was three-handed when he raised the stakes to 150,000 while he was at the button. The two other players defended their respective blinds. After the flop, which ran 6s-5c-3s, Ourini wagered 300,000. Mohamed decided to sit the hand out, leaving Ourini and Martinov to face off.

Martinov decided to go all-in. After a count was conducted and the bet was declared as 950,000, Ourini called Martinov’s bet. The audience was shocked when it was revealed that all Ourini held was Jh-9c. Martinov held 6c-3c. The turn card was 5s, making a pair with the 5 that had already been dealt on the board. This made it more likely for Ourini to succeed as the new card counterfeited Martinov’s hand. Ourini did not disappoint and when 9h was drawn on the river, he profited by nearly $60,000 and knocked Martinov out of the tournament.

Other Notable Eliminations

Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier almost made it to the final table before bowing out at 8th place. He was not the only player to narrowly miss being seated at the final table. Jonathan Duhamel was the bubble boy of this event, concluding his run in WPT Marrakech at 7th place. Arnaud Mattern, a former EPT winner, left the tournament at 4th place with $69,778.

Heads-up Play: Ourini vs. Houssam

During the heads-up play, Ourini tried to increase his chip count. But the game between the two was slow. Initially, they were content with trading blinds. Eventually, Ourini made his signature move and called, losing a large part of his stack to Houssam. This catapulted Houssam to the lead with a stack that was more than double Ourini’s. The play ended as abruptly as it began with Houssam limping in from his spot as the small blind. Ourini brought the flop by checking the big blind.

The flop gave out Kc-8d-3s. Both players chose to check. However, once the Qd was revealed, Ourini put down a 370,000 wager. Houssam raised the stakes with 800,000. In retaliation, Ourini went all-in and Houssam proceeded to call. Houssam confidently revealed his two cards – 8c-8s. Ourini’s Ks-Jh was useless at this point and after drawing 6h on the river, Houssam was hailed as the winner of the event.

Results of the Final Table at WPT Marrakech

Mattern came in 3rd after Houssam, Ourini and Martinov. Fifth place was awarded to Hassan Fares and Rodney Assous won 6th place. They both took home $50,991 and $41,332 respectively.